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Cyrtosperma merkusii

Puraka

Atoll Taro

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Atoll Taro

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Puraka (RR MG MT AK TW), Pūraka (AT MK PL MH RK), Pulaka (TS PK NS); Other Polynesian - Pula‘a (SAM)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE ?e.Indonesia - ?n.New Guinea

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Polynesian, Not naturalised; Land, lowlands

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food (Root 2+) Outer

Enlarged Image of 'Cyrtosperma merkusii'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+L	+/X	++	+	+++		++?		X?

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
+++	P	++?	+++	++?	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Cyrtosperma merkusii (Hasskarl)
SYNONYMS: Cyrtosperma chamissonis; Cyrtosperma edule; Cyrtosperma nadeaudianum [taxonomy not definite]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); LILIOPSIDA (=Monocotyledones); ARECIDAE; Arales; ARACEAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -. Comment: NBSAP - Mauke (1 of 8 wild plants)
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Food (Root 2+) Outer

GENERAL NOTE: ACSm tuber baked or boiled and considered superior to Alocasia, 10 yr tuber 160 pounds.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Cyrtosperma merkusii.

References:
p.141 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.1/451 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.27 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.395b Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM04a

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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